If you're having spaghetti bolognaise tonight, you’re not alone as a fifth of UK families tuck in to this Italian staple every Wednesday.

Despite the average mother owning over a dozen recipe books, one in three have a bank of only eight meals which they rotate every week.

And the majority (61 per cent) cook the same meals on the same days, week in, week out, according to a new survey.

The majority of mothers cook the same meals each week, even though they have plenty of cookbooks

However, the repetitive menu isn't down to a lack of will from mums.

The average woman has a collection of 14 recipe books, spanning everything from golden-oldies Delia Smith and Nigella Lawson to the cutting-edge likes of Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay, seven of which have never even been opened.

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The mothers, who were polled by Asda, said the reasons for not experimenting more and trying new dishes is the worry they'll 'make a mistake' and that they'll 'disappoint their husbands and children’ if they don't enjoy it - so they end up 'sticking to what they know'.

Ironically, unbeknown to the women, nearly half of husbands polled said they would love something new and one in five are so bored of eating the same meals every week, they often fill up on a big lunch or grab something to eat on the way home.

Spaghetti bolognaise is mother's favourite choice of dish to cook for the family

However, almost eight out of ten husbands 'wouldn't dare complain' because of the pressure their wives are under and would rather make excuses as to why they won't be home for dinner or won't need to eat.

Mothers also cited ‘lack of time’ as a reason for making the same staple meals every week, concerned that trying something new may take longer to make because they lack confidence.

And 37 per cent of those surveyed confessed that they often look for ‘cheats’ and time-saving solutions which might explain why sales of pre-prepared vegetable packs are at an all time high, with mashed potato sales up 50 per cent and diced carrot and swede sales up 20 percent.

An Asda spokesperson said: 'We know how tough it is for mums to feed a hungry family and we think they do a great job already. While we all love a good spag bol we can understand why men might want to shake it up a bit – it might be time to dust off those recipe books!'

MOTHER'S FAVOURITE MEALS

Spaghetti bolognaise

Stir-fry

Hot-pot/stew/ Casserole

Roast dinner

Sausage and mash

Tuna pasta bake

Lasagne

Chicken pie

Shepherd’s Pie

Chilli con carne

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Spag bol again? One in three mothers have a bank of just eight meals that rotate every week